Wagner Group mutiny: Recap of last 36 hours in Russia; is Vladimir Putin planning to flee Kremlin?

The mutiny formed by the Wagner militia company, initially working on the directions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, shook up the nation posing a threat to the current government. The mutiny, though broken in just a span of one day, certainly prompted panic in the Kremlin.

In the span of 36 hours, Wagner Group fighters and their chief Yevgeny Prigozhin formed a mutiny near Moscow rebelling against Vladimir Putin. The group, which was seemingly waging a war on the Russian army, soon backed off and decided to avoid bloodshed.

Later, it was announced that Prigozhin will be leaving Russia and will be taking refuge in Belarus, with the treason charges against him and his commanders dropped, which surprised all especially because of the strict rules of Putin’s governance against the slightest signs of protest.

Recap of 36 hours in Putin’s Russia

Prigozhin, who leads the Wagner private military company, has been a staunch loyalist of Putin but turned against the Russian president after he alleged that Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu launched a missile against his troops with the intention of killing thousands.

The Putin loyalist soon rebelled and decided to surround Moscow and the Russian Army with his troops, who were less than 200 km away from the country’s capital city, posing a major security threat. Putin soon addressed the nation in an icy speech, denouncing the action of Prigozhin and his troops.

However, the Wagner Group ended up backing off citing reasons of avoiding bloodshed in Russia. Later, their chief ended up taking an immunity deal with the government, where the treason charges against him and his troops were dropped and Prigozhin was persuaded out of Russia, set to settle in Belarus.

Is Vladimir Putin planning to flee Kremlin?

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hasn’t made any public appearance since his icy address, has plans to leave Russia in the midst of the recent wave of insurgence against him, according to multiple international media reports.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, two jets were seen flying out of the Kremlin, out of which one jet is exclusively used by Vladimir Putin to travel. However, the government maintains that Putin is still in the Kremlin.

READ | DNA Explainer: Wagner Group armed rebellion in Russia, who are they and why have they rebelled?